Final exams don’t need to be a stressful experience. Photo: timswinson.com

Many students find their anxiety level heightens toward the semester’s end. Pressures causing this can come from many sources and vary according to your performance in each of your classes. Either you want to do as well on your final as you have during the semester, or you feel you have to do well on your final to pull up your overall grade. Reacting to performance pressure, anxiety and stress can challenge even the best students. But you can take control of anxiety and stress by preparing to succeed.

Start smallIf you have skied or snowboarded difficult terrains, you know the pros advise you at least crest a hilltop so the view to the bottom is not as scary. Similarly, start studying and preparing for your finals, even in small amounts. Procrastinatingmagnifies stress. Knowing that you have begun helps you stay in control.

Practice, practice, practicePracticing not only fosters knowledge retention, but also can help build your comfort level with the typical final exam performance environment. Take a practice exam or two using the same time constraints as the actual final exam. You will get a feel for where you need to concentrate your studies and how to pace yourself during a test. Confidence and familiarity are great anxiety reducers.

Learn to relaxStress can make us fearful and lead to irrational thinking; we set unrealistic goals and create imaginary obstacles that thwart success. To control stress, it is very important to make quiettime for yourself. Don’t take a break — make a break. Get some fresh air, listen to music, go for a run or a swim, eat a decent meal and get enough sleep. Simple steps like these can help calm your nerves and keep you balanced and positive.

Adjust your focusAnxiety and stress build up because you are worrying about the future. Keep your focus on the present: What is it you need to do now? Get rid of distractions, use the ideas above to control negative thinking, organize and prioritize your plan of action, and move forward. You can do it!

One response to “Study Tips: Preparing for Finals”

These are some good tips. Even though I don’t go to this college, I’ll consider them as I approach finals at my own college. It can be hard not to get overly stressed about finals, so I’m glad I found a few tips for them.